Underage driver arrested in wreck that killed 10-year-old

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — A joyride by a group of boys who took a parent's car ended in tragedy when the 14-year-old driver lost control and slammed into power pole, killing a 10-year-old passenger and leading to his arrest, authorities in Washington state said.

Two other boys, ages 14 and 11, were injured when the car hit the pole and spun into a tree Monday in the city of Lakewood, about 40 miles south of Seattle, police told The News Tribune (http://goo.gl/4HqCQn ).

The underage driver was released from a hospital Tuesday and booked into a juvenile detention center on suspicion of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and hit-and-run.

Dylan Wilson, who was riding in the backseat with the 11-year-old, died in the crash.

"He was a wonderful boy, and I miss him. What can I say?" Dylan's mother, Michelle Wilson, said through tears.

The children got the keys to a car belonging to the 11-year-old's mother and went joyriding, police Lt. Chris Lawler said. The boys at one point stopped to buy gas. On their way home, their car sideswiped another vehicle and kept going, authorities say.

Police believe the 14-year-old driver panicked and sped down the road before hitting a pole, but detectives were still investigating what led up to the wreck. The two older boys ran from the crash.

"Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the boys and their families. Many of us are parents ourselves and can't imagine what they are going through," Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro said in a statement.

By law, drivers in Washington state must be 15 years old to get an instruction permit and 16 to obtain a full driver's license.

Prosecutors are reviewing charges against the 14-year-old driver, who is expected in court Thursday.